Subject: LCUP overview comments

From: "Kurt D. Zeilenga" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 10:06:28 -0800

The I-D states:
   The problem areas not being considered:
       - directory server to directory server synchronization.  The
	replication protocol that is being defined by the LDUP IETF
	working group should be used for this purpose. 

I would suggest the last sentence be stricken or replaced with:
	The IETF is developing a LDAP replication protocol, called
	[LDUP], specifically designed to addresss this problem area.

The [LDUP] reference, of course, would be informative.

	Several features of the protocol distinguish it from
	LDUP replication.

Given that LDUP is a ''work in progress'', I'm not sure why it
is useful to detail how LCUP distinguish itself from it LDUP.
The information provide is useful as design overview, but I would
suggest it be framed in the context of the problem areas that LCUP
does or does not address.  That is, I would strike the above sentence
and replace:
	First, the server does not maintain any state information
	on behalf of its clients.

with:
	LCUP is designed such that the server does not need to
	maintain state information on behalf of the client.

I assume that that "no predefined agreements" in:
	Second, no predefined agreements exist between the clients
	and the servers.

refers to LCUP-specific agreements.  There are obviously other
predefined agreements which may (and like should) exist.

I suggest replacing this with:
	LCUP design avoid need for an LCUP-specific update agreements
	to be made between client and server prior to LCUP use.

Lastly, I suggest:
	Finally, the server never pushes the data to the client;
	the client always initiates the update session during which
	it pulls the changes from the server.

be replaced with:
	LCUP design requires clients to initiate the update
	session and "pull" the changes from server.

The overview continues with:
	The set of clients that are allowed to synchronize with
	an LDAP server is determined by the server defined policy. 

I find this statement confusing in the face of "no predefined
agreements".  I assume here the I-D means:
	LCUP operations are subject to administrative and access
	control policies enforced by the server.

The paragraph starting with:
	There are currently several protocols 

seems out of place.  Likely should be moved towards the top of
the overview.

The paragraph starting with:
	A server can define 

is defining either a convention or part of the normative specification
of the protocol (the overview appears informative).

The sentence:
	The LCUP context may be coincident with the replicated area,
	depending on the server's implementation.
(and likely the following sentence) should be stricken as the
imperative requires that "replication area" be defined.